THE KNYVETT CASE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2924, 30 March 1910, Page 33

THE KNYVETT CASE.

RECONSIDERATION REFUSED. WELLINGTON, March 23. Further urgent representations have been made by the Knyvett Defence Committee, of Auckland, to secure the reconsideration of the decision by wheh Captain Knyvett was dismissed from the Volunteer Force upon charges of insubordination. , The result is explained. in the following telegram, -which has been forwarded by the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) to the" chairman of the Knyvett Defence Committee (Mr S. S. Dickson):—ln reference to the Knyvett case and your' telegrams concerning same, the, representations made to the Hon. Dr Findlay and the Hon. G. Fowlde by the deputation in Auckland were fully considered by Cabinet yesterday, and it was decided that the Government could not reopen the matter. —J. G. Ward." FURTHER ACTION PROPOSED. AUCKLAND, March 24, Mr Dickson, chairman of the Knyvett Defence Cominitte'e, in ah interview' today; ' said tjte Cabinet evidently considered that,, the Knyvett case had been disposed of once and for all. In thinking, that, however, a very great mistake was being • made. Representations wefe made- to the Hon. G. -Fowlds and Dr Findlay on the 4th of February last relative to further action, and Cabinet did not bother to consider the question until" yesterday. , " We now know where we are," . declared;, Mir Dickson, " and .it remains for the people to say whether justice shall be done. The Ministry ; refuses to give us .satisfaction, and so we have no alternative but to carry on bur campaign and demand- jusitiee through bur representatives in Parliament. The Knyvett Defence Committee will redouble its activity, and arrangements will be made : straightway for holding another mass indignation meeting "in one of the theatres. It is likely also that the committee will undertake a Knyvett Saturday collection-in the streets. Many ladies have, already signified their willingness to assist in such an -undertaking,- and at a meeting to be held this afternoon we will discuss a proposal to organise street collections on some, specified Saturday, and .so enable the coniihittee to secure possiblyy a couple of hundred pounds to form thft: nucleus of a fighting fund, and thus carry on'-a campaign throughout the Dominion:'' ■ ■-..',.. TO PARLIAMENT. (From Our Own-Correspondent.) AUCKLAND, March 26. The Knyvett case nromises to resolve itself into a political question, and to occupy some attention when the House meets." Seen as to the decision of Cabinet not to reoDen the matter. Mr W. F. Massey, M.P., Leader of the Opposition, said": "Like many others, I am very sorry that the Government has not seen fit to allow CaDtain Knyvett's case to be decided in open court, either by a Royal Commission or otherwise, but if I know my fellow-citizens they will not allow this matter to drop until it has been probed to the bottom. If Captain Knyvett is wrong, he will take his uunishment like a man, but what we demand for him - is a fair trial, and that he has not yet had. He has been condemned without being tried, because the farcical inquiry which was held was not a trial in any sense of the word. I am quite sure that those * of the public who have looked into what has taken nlace are behind the committee, and will assist and support it in every way possible. It is evident now that there are powerful- influences at work to prevent any inquiry being held, but if the committee stands fast as it is doing, it is safe to predict that the difficulties in the way will disappear as we get .nearer to the general election." "I am pleased to learn," added Mr Massev. "that the committee intends to hold meetings, in the districts outside Auckland. I have just returned from a visit to Wellington, and was rather sumrised to find that very few outside of the Auckland district understood thoroughly what has taken place. If they did, I am quite sure they would be just as indignant and just as anxious for a proper inquiry as those who have attended the meetings recently held in Auckland City. I have already said I have no desire to make party capital out of Captain Knyvett's case, and do not intend doing scr. but for all that, anything I can do either in Parliament or out of it to assist a good cause and prevent an injustice taking place will be done readily and willingly." There are .-umours that should a vote of no-confidence be moved the Government would have a strenuous job to maintain a majority.- At least one Government supporter has pledged himself to support such a Vote against the Government—namely, Mr A. E. Glover. M.P., for Auckland Central. "The Government," he says, " has acted in a manner which has caused many of its supporters to smart under a sense of injustice, and, I for one am determined to se« this matter through, even at the risk of being

ostracised from parliamentary life. The case will be fought out on the floor of the House." He added : "If a vvant-of-confidence motion is the result, I shall vote against the Government." The Minister of Education (the Hon. Geo. Fowlds) preferred not to discuss the Knyvett case when interviewed by a Herald representative at Auckland yesterday. He said, however, that both Dr Findlay and himself, who were waited upon at Auckland recently by local deputations in connection with, the matter, attended the Cabinet meeting at which it was decided that the case could not be reopened. The fact was that there were no provisions in the statutes which would justify them in doing so. If an appeal to Parliament was intended, the Minister said the petitioner would only be exercising the privileges provided by the law of the country.